How to Spring Clean Your Piano
Spring clean your piano to maintain its tone and to protect its finish. Whether you own a grand, upright, studio, console, digital or player piano it will sound and look better after a thorough dusting, cleaning and polishing. All pianos have one thing in common -- dust, dirt and grime can compromise their components. Whether you have recently purchased a new piano or received one from a friend or family member, treat it as an important investment and enjoy its melodic sounds for years to come. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- White vinegar
- Warm water
- Gallon container
- Spray bottle
- Lint-free cloths
- Furniture paste wax
- Soft brush
- Brass polish
- Cloth remnant
- Steel wool, fine
- Steel wool, coarse
- Canned air
Instructions
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Keys
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Mix 2 tbsp. white vinegar in a gallon of warm water to create an all-purpose cleaning solution. Transfer the cleaning solution to a spray bottle.
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Spray a lint-free cloth with the solution. Use just enough to make the cloth damp to the touch. Begin at one end of the keyboard and wipe each key, black and white, individually. Re-spray your cloth when it becomes dry to the touch.
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Wipe the keys with a clean, lint-free cloth. This removes any remaining moisture and creates a bright shiny appearance to the keyboard.
Case
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4
Wipe the entire case of the piano with a lint-free cloth lightly dampened with the same solution used for cleaning the keys. This removes surface dust as well as smudges and fingerprints. Remember to wipe down the entire outside of the piano case.
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Apply a very thin coat of furniture paste wax. Follow the manufacturer's directions carefully. Too much wax may impair the finish and too little wax produces very little shine. After waxing, buff the entire case with a fresh cloth.
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Inspect all surfaces of the case to see if you have missed a spot when applying the wax or when buffing. When you polish your piano's case you not only condition the wood but you create a glossy finish that repels dust for a long period of time.
Pedals
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Brush the pedals of the piano with a soft brush. A soft paintbrush or even a soft-bristled toothbrush will do the trick. This removes accumulated dust and grime that builds up in the grooves of each pedal.
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Apply a small amount of liquid brass cleaner to the pedals following the manufacturer's directions. A remnant from an old T-shirt makes a handy applicator.
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Buff the foot pedals with a dry cloth. Check to make sure that no cleaner remains in the grooves of the pedals or has splattered on any portion of the wood located above, behind or around the pedals.
Strings
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10
Clean the strings of a grand piano with a fine grade of steel wool. You will need to clean the piano's sound board too as the dirt generated from cleaning the strings falls on the sound board.
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Rub the strings lightly, from left to right, using a wad of steel wool. Do not use any oil as that interferes with the piano's tone. Make sure to remove all rust and keep rubbing until the strings begin to shine.
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Wipe the bass strings with a coarser grade of steel wool. The steel wool pad will break down as you work with it and flakes of steel wool will fall onto the soundboard. When finished, remove all traces of the steel wool with compressed air. Computer stores normally have compressed, or "canned", air in stock and it works well for removing steel wool remnants from the piano soundboard.
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Tips & Warnings
A lamb's wool duster works well for periodic dusting.
Refrain from using milk or any type of milk-based solutions for cleaning piano keys. Milk products create a film that adheres to the keys and becomes sticky over time.
Cleaning the strings of an upright piano requires specialized knowledge; have a piano technician do the job.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images
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Comments
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or you can simply use Powglass-The High Definition Glass Cleaner. It's safe on pianos and streak-free.
